Priming Attachment Security within an IAPT setting
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Priming Attachment Security within an IAPT Setting: A Feasibility and Pilot Study
IRAS ID
249633
Contact name
Charlotte Heathcote
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Sheffield
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
The current study incorporates a feasibility and pilot design. The feasibility element will explore issues related to study design to determine suitability for conducting a future randomised control trial (RCT). The pilot study will look at the processes outlined in the protocol to determine whether the study components all work together. Moreover, it will preliminarily aim to explore whether a attachment security priming intervention appears to be effective in reducing therapy drop-out; increasing attendance to therapy; and decreasing rates of clients’ being stepped-up to high-intensity services. Secondary to this, the study aims to assess whether priming attachment security appears to have an impact upon levels of depression, anxiety and impaired functioning. Any findings from the study will be treated as preliminary, due to the lack of adequate power. Both elements of the study will determine whether any changes are needed to the study design or protocol, and whether a future RCT is suitable and necessary.
Participants will be recruited through Harrogate IAPT service, which offer telephone or face-to-face low and high-intensity psychological interventions to clients with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. Clients presenting with depression who are accessing low-intensity GSH interventions will be invited to take part in the study. Participants who consent to taking part will be randomised to either treatment as usual (TAU) or treatment with security priming intervention (TSP) conditions. Those randomised to the TAU group will receive standardised GSH intervention for between six to eight sessions, with no deviation from routine treatment. In addition to this, those who are randomised to the TSP group will complete a short security-priming task prior to every session with the PWP; aside from this, their treatment will not deviate from routine practice. Participants will complete sessional measures as routinely completed within the service.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/YH/0111
Date of REC Opinion
10 May 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion